Nine Times Katniss and Peeta Went To A Dinner Party Together
by arollercoasterthatonlygoesup
Summary: (And One Time They Hosted One) The way to Katniss Everdeen's heart is through her stomach. CF AU. No Quell. Oneshot.


**01: **  
He's stiff beside her. Shoulders rigid, jaw clenched. His eyes close every now and then when her hand brushes against his. As if he's trying to remind himself to hate her.  
Other than that, he's the perfect guest. Laughing and talking with everyone that was deemed important enough to get an invite to the Mayor's mansion tonight and welcome them home. His family was at the train station, but they didn't come to the meal. Her family did. Prim and Mrs. Everdeen sit across the table from them in dresses that must have been sent in when she was declared a Victor, looking every bit the merchant family they could have been, if it wasn't for Katniss' father. Peeta tells stories about growing up in the bakery, anecdotes about their time in the Capitol. It's amazing, the things he decides to talk about. Things that she's forgotten about completely. Bread meant to look like it was from each of the different Districts. The art that hung in the penthouse apartment at the training center. Everyone is captivated by what he has to say.

Except for Katniss. Madge keeps looking between Katniss and Peeta, lips pursed as if she knows. _As if she knows_. Katniss' heart seizes up with a mixture of dread and guilt. And suddenly, while Peeta is talking about his prep team, she kisses him. Haymitch's warning is ringing in her ears, especially when he doesn't kiss back. But he doesn't push her off, and his hand comes to rest somewhere between her shoulder blades. Somewhere that she hopes could at least be misconstrued as intimate by _someone _in this room.

**02:**  
Haymitch makes it clear that the dinner party he's hosting is not something she can skip. He says that, as her mentor, there are things that they need to talk about.

Her mother is disappointed. Says that it feels like they _never see her anymore_. Probably because they didn't make the list for the second and third meals at Mayor Undersee's house. She's been home for a week, now, though, and they've stuffed her with food every chance they've had. Holding her wrists up and saying that she's too thin. As if she should have put the weight she lost in the arena back on so quickly.

Maybe it would be possible, with all of the food in her house.

Her house was built to be exactly the same as his. But his is a mess. Bottles and trash spilling out into the yard. She can practically hear Effie Trinket's voice talking about how people like Haymitch _bring the property value down, _the way she did when she was here. Peeta is there by the time she lets herself into Haymitch's – unlocked – house. Perched on the edge of the couch, as if to avoid touching any of the trash. She doesn't want to sit beside him, but Haymitch is in the armchair, and the floor is filthy. She clears off part of the far cushion.

"Look at you two lovebirds," Haymitch says, waving his bottle from Peeta to Katniss before taking a big drink of it. "Can see why the Capitol fell in love with you. I'm having a hard time keeping it together just looking at you."

"Oh, be quiet, Haymitch," Peeta warns. "You said this was important."

"It _is _important. The two of you think you can just go on like this – acting for the cameras and ignoring each other in real life, you've got to think a little harder about all of this. You think people don't talk?"

Peeta scowls, moving as if to stand up, but he stops at the sound of Katniss' voice.

"He's right, you know."

His head whips around to look at him. "Yeah, you'd say that, considering –"

"He is," she says. "We're never going to convince anyone if you can't stand to look at me."

He sets his jaw. It looks like he's going to argue, but they just stare at each other for a long moment.

"I'm sorry," she finally says. "I should have been honest with you."

"No," he says, breaking eye contact and staring down at the couch. "You saved us. You had to do what you did. I told you to. But . . . I can't even have time to get over this?"

"No."

They both turn to look at Haymitch.

"Look," he continues. "Touching as this is, that's the truth of it. You've gotta get over it, boy. And fast. And you, Sweetheart, have gotta start being a little more open. He's in the same boat as you, like it or not."

"And we didn't even get dinner," Peeta says, and he actually does stand up this time. She follows him when he leaves, but doesn't speak until they're on their mentor's porch.

"You can eat with us."

He turns to look at her, dragging a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I will get over it. I promise," he gives her a weak smile. "We'll go out around town tomorrow and be the perfect couple. But I just . . . can I at least have the night?"

She swallows hard and nods. "Yeah. Okay."

**03: **

"Ms. Everdeen, this is amazing," Peeta says once he's tasted her mother's stew.

"We need to get some lamb," Katniss says. They did go out today. Walked around the town hand in hand and tried to talk about things that didn't matter, exactly. But things are still sort of uncomfortable.

"For that lamb stew you liked? They have it canned, you know," he says. "They're selling it with your face on it, actually."

She nearly chokes on her bite. "What?"

"Yeah. I was watching something on TV last night. It was late, so it was mostly just advertising, and it's part of the _Victor's Favorite _collection. Along with Finnick Odairs sugarcubes."

Prim sort of giggles. "Really?"

"Really," he agrees. "I'm surprised you haven't been sent a complimentary can or something."

"The nerve of those people," she says quietly, trying to joke. "Using my face to sell things."

He reaches over to take her hand under the table. Something about that is reassuring. Probably because nobody else knows. "Just wait. Won't be long until they're selling something with my face. Or my new leg."

She bites her lip and wonders just how much they're planning on taking from them.

**04: **

Lamb stew is waiting for them on the train. She sets in on the meal, not tasting any of it, with her nerves being the way they are, and not even looking up until Effie says that she needs to try and pace herself.

"Wouldn't want your dresses not fitting, now would we?" their escort asks, and Peeta chuckles. "What, Peeta?" she asks. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's just, with Katniss' metabolism being the way it is, she could probably eat everything on this train and not have to worry about her outfits not fitting," he says. "I'd know. I tried really hard to fatten her up when we first got back."

This is unthinkable to Effie. Her eyes widen, as if this is the cruelest thing Peeta could go to her. Maybe, by Capitol standards, it is. But Katniss certainly isn't complaining.

"It's true," Katniss says. "Bread, cake, everything you could think of, really." In the six months since they've been back, they've eaten dinner together nearly every night, and he's brought some sort of baked good nearly every time. In fact, she's not sure how she's going to make it through the next two weeks without the cheese buns he's been spoiling her with lately.

"And she hasn't gained an inch," he says. "I know guys from my old wrestling team that would kill to be able to put away food like that."

Haymitch is laughing. Katniss tries to keep a straight face, but this is fun, getting to Effie this way.

**05: **

District Eleven is horrible. The speech she gives doesn't scratch the surface of everything she wants to say, and it still manages to get a man killed.

She doesn't think she'll be able to make it through dinner. Not knowing that she had to look at all of the starving children and then be expected to eat what they put in front of her.

Peeta's arm ends up slung over the back of seat, and when she leans into his arm a little bit, he draws little circles on her exposed shoulder with his thumb.

**06: **

The meal after they're rewarded for everything they've done with a tiny, almost imperceptible nod of President Snow's head is the first one she tastes in ages. And she eats everything she can. Makes Peeta eat what she can't.

Rich, dark chocolate cakes have been put out for dessert. She's sure she isn't supposed to eat them first, but Peeta comes along with her when she drags him towards the table. He does laugh at her, but she doesn't care. Suddenly, she's starving.

**07: **  
She's coming back from an attempted trip to the woods when she runs into him.

"Hey," he says, his eyes darting down to her game bag. "Been hunting?"

She shakes her head. "Tried. Fence was on."

He nods. She doesn't think he looks like he's disappointed, exactly.

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"I've got some baking stuff coming in on the train," he answers. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Okay," she says, falling into step beside him. "What do you have planned for today?"

"Not much. I'm supposed to have dinner with my family."

She frowns. She's gotten so used to him eating with her family. "Why?"

He laughs. "Well, my mother has to find some way to get her hands on my winnings, right?"

He's trying to be funny. It isn't working. "I want to come with you."

This makes him stop. "Um, okay. Are you sure?"

No. "Yes."

"It's not going to be like a dinner with your family. I'd love to have you, don't get me wrong – but it's uncomfortable enough when it's just me."

"I mean, I can stay home . . ."

"No. Come," he says. "I'd be happy to have an ally."

An _ally_. She reminds herself of this when they trek back out to Town in the snow. She's a little bit concerned about his leg, but he's more than able to keep up with her.

"You know you don't have to give her your money, right?" she asks.

He thinks about this for a long moment. She doesn't think he's going to respond until he does. "Yeah. I guess."

"You don't," she presses. "You earned it."

"But I don't need it. Not all of it," he says.

She doesn't argue, but she does sort of sigh.

The Mellark family is laughing and talking, but as soon as Mr. Mellark leads them into the room and they see that she came with them, they stop. She wants so badly to leave, but then Peeta reaches over and takes her hand, and she laces their fingers together.

They will go into this as one.

He's right. This is not the same as a dinner at her house is. Even with how uncomfortable she gets at the way her mother pretends to be an involved parent, that has nothing on how uncomfortable this is. Mrs. Mellark scowls down at her plate nearly the whole time. Mr. Mellark is silent, for the most part, but at least offers his congratulations on their engagement. Their engagement. _Right_.

"Of course, we did expect him to marry someone from a decent family here in Town," Mrs. Mellark says, finally breaking her silence. "Someone to be proud of. Like Delly Cartwright."

His brothers run with the subject before she's even finished speaking. Teasing Peeta and telling Katniss that he's probably had the speech from his proposal planned out since the first day of school. Peeta is actually sort of blushing by the time they're finished. It's not even for show when she kisses him on the cheek.

Mrs. Mellark storms out of the room.

There's almost too much snow on the ground for them to make the trip back to the Victor's Village. Peeta's father tries to talk them out of it, but Peeta wants to stay at the bakery about as little as Katniss does, so they start on the walk.

"I never would have married Delly," he informs her quietly.

"Come on. Even if –"

"Even if," he agrees, clearly not caring what the hypothetical situation was. "She's really into this guy Thom, for one, and for another, it wouldn't be fair to her. Marrying someone I didn't love."

The words make her heart clench. He must realize the way she's shivering, because he pulls her in against him, as if his body heat will help. He's cold, too. She's just wondering how much further she can make it when his house comes into sight. Can she make it to hers? Certainly not alone. And she doesn't want Peeta to have to walk to her house and then back alone.

As if he can tell what she's thinking, Peeta leans her towards his house. "Come home with me."

Her mother doesn't seem particularly thrilled when she answers the phone, but Katniss doesn't care, because Peeta is making a fire and besides, this means she'll get to have some decent sleep for the first time since the Tour. 

**08:  
**  
Her mother waits until after dinner to start on the lecture, after Prim is not-so-subtly excused to go work on her homework. Peeta gets up to start on the dishes, but Ms. Everdeen stopped him.

"Those can wait. I think we need to talk."

It's quiet for a long moment. Peeta looks over at her, and she can tell how nervous he is.

"What?" Katniss asks.

"I'm not too thrilled with the fact that you stayed over at his house last night," she says. Katniss scowls. "And you can hate me for saying that all you want, but I'm not sure you two realize what it is that you're implying here."

"We're _engaged_," Katniss argues. "I think I'm allowed to stay at his house if I want."

"You aren't married. And neither of you are even old enough to _be _married yet," her mother says. That's not true, though, and everyone knows it. If the Capitol wants them married before Peeta's eighteenth birthday, they'll do it. "And as long as you're living in my house, I'm going to expect you to –"

"But it isn't your house," Katniss argues. Peeta takes a deep breath, and she knows that she's said the wrong thing, but she's in too deep, now. "It's my house. And if I want to spend time with my fiancé, I should be allowed to."

"Peeta, would you mind giving me and Katniss a moment?" Mrs. Everdeen asks, her voice eerily calm. Katniss reaches over and grabs Peeta's hand, hoping that he knows what she's trying to say. _Don't you dare leave me alone with her right now_.

"I . . . don't think Katniss wants me to go," he says carefully.

Her mother's lips are pursed tightly.

There are a thousand nasty things that she wants to say. About how she's only just deciding to be that and how it doesn't work that way. But she holds her tongue. "I'm a victor," she says instead. "And if what it takes for me to _sleep at night _is to lie in bed with Peeta, then that's what I'm going to do."

It's quiet for a long moment.

"If I may," Peeta says. "Katniss and I weren't doing anything . . . improper . . . last night. On the way home, with the way it was snowing, I didn't want to make her walk all the way down here. So I invited her in."

"And he made sure I called you," Katniss adds, because she doesn't exactly want to get Peeta in trouble, no matter how much she wants to fight with her mother.

"If nothing else, I want to know that you two are being safe," she says, and Katniss has to try to resist the urge to cover her ears with her hands. "I know they probably wouldn't mind it, you two having a child, but I certainly would. And there are ways to prevent –"

"_Mom_! No!" Katniss says, and she's leveled with a stare from across the table.

"If you aren't old enough to talk about it, Katniss –"

"Even if we were, and we're _not, _they took care of it," she says. "They . . . before the Games. We have nothing to worry about."

"Well, if there's no talking sense into you . . ."

"There isn't," she insists. Peeta smiles.

**09:**

She doesn't want to like the banquet they're treated to after their wedding reception. But it makes everything else they've eaten in the Capitol look like they're been holding back.

Thankfully, they only have to sit with the bridal party during the meal. Finnick Odair, Peeta's best man, is surprisingly easy to be around. Maybe he understands how hard this whole spectacle is on them.

"You're a lucky man, Peeta," Finnick says during the second course. Peeta's hand reaches over to take Katniss' under the table.

Peeta gives a speech afterwards, between dinner and dessert. Goes up in front of everyone and puts his cue cards in his pocket. He talks about how much he loves her. About the first day of school and every day after.

She doesn't realize she's crying until Johanna Mason hands a tissue over.

**010:**

"I think it's safe to say they're not coming," Peeta says.

She thinks that it shouldn't be so strange, the thought of eating alone with Peeta. They've been married for almost a month now. But every dinner since they got back to District Twelve has been spent with her family. "Okay. Well, let's not let them ruin our first dinner party."

Peeta tells her stories all through dinner, and she responds with some of her own.

"You know," he says. "I think this is the first time we've actually had dinner together alone. Except for the cave."

It's the first time they've really mentioned the arena, save for the moments they try to explain their nightmares. But he's right. "Yeah. Maybe it's time we start doing normal things."

The way he grins is all the proof that she needs that he agrees.


End file.
